Provisioning for Pacific

I was a novice to the whole stocking up ordeal. I did my research, spoke to other cruisers and kept in the back of my mind the fact that Dylan has the appetite of a horse. No seriously, he puts away food at an impressive rate and people often question whether I ever feed him as his garbage bin approach to food certainly doesn't show on his waist line and he thinks nothing of asking for seconds…or thirds when on other boats. 

Our Tartan 37 has a huge amount of storage space so my approach was to stock up for 8 weeks as if we weren't going to be reaching any land and then if I had any space left after that, fill it! To start the shopping list, I had a think about what we would want to eat en route. No gourmet meals on Team Orion, keeping it quick and simple is essential when under way as I get seasick. Yes Dylan does his fair share of cooking but I can't expect him to be skipper and chef at the same time when we do an ocean crossing.

Here was our meal plan:

Breakfast

Fruit and yogurt

Pancakes / crepes

Muesli and milk

Oats / milk / honey / raisins

Bread /  jam / peanut butter

Scrambled egg / omelette

Lunch

Burrito and rice, beans, parmesan cheese, onion and garlic

Tuna / tinned tomato / pasta / mayo

2 minute noodles

Bread / cheese / pickle

Crackers / cheese

Cheese scones

Pasta pesto

Tuna sandwiches

Egg mayo sandwiches

Left over dinner

Dinner

Veggie / lentil curry

Mash and bean

Fish / rice / peas

Spaghetti meat balls

Tinned stew / rice

Tinned corned beef hash / veggies / rice

Veggie pie (potato, carrot, cheese)

Stirfry (2 min noods, egg, peanut butter, soy etc)

Potato salad

Cous cous and fish

Potato bake

Veggie stew (pearl barley, cabbage, potato, carrots)

Snacks and pudding

Cakes (mixes)

Sweets (individuals)

Chocolate (bars)

Chips

Houmous

Salsa

Biscuits

Cup a soup

Fudge

After writing the meal plan I then worked out the portions of each item I would need per meal and multiplied that to get to an 8 week quantity. Rice, pasta, flour etc you can get in all Pacific islands so I just bought the 8 week quantity but everything else would be expensive or non existent on our adventure so I wanted to buy more to last us approximately 8 months. Here's my shopping list:

Type	Qty	Measurement
Non Perishables
Rice	6	kg
Pasta (Fusilli, shells)	6	kg
Spaghetti	5	kg
2 min noods	58	packets
Pearl barley	6	packets
Tinned Tomato	33	units
Tinned tomato paste (small)	7	units
Tinned Veggies (assorted)	20	units
Tinned potatoes	8	units
Tinned Black beans	4	units
Tinned Beans pigeon peas	6	units
Tinned beef stew	16	units
Tinned ham	4	units
Tinned corned beef hash	6	units
Octopus	4	units
Corned beef	2	units
Tinned chicken	18	units
Pork and beans	2	units
Baked beans	6	units
Chilli beans	2	units
Meatballs	2	units
Cream of something soup	20	units
Asparagus tips	1	units
Artichoke Hearts	3	units
Tinned Sweet Corn	10	units
Creamed corn	2	units
Tinned Coconut milk	3	units
Cream of coconut	2	units
Tinned chickpeas	20	units
Tinned beets	2	units
Tinned mushrooms	4	units
Tinned fruit	17	units
Tinned condensed milk	9	units
Tinned tuna	24	cans
Tinned salmon	4	cans
Tinned cream	4	cans
Evaporated milk	6	units
Smash	12	sachets
Coke	24	cans
Tonic	12	cans
Beers	5	case (cans)
Wine	22	units
Gin	4	bottles
Vodka	4	bottles
Rum	18	bottles
Whisky	4	bottle
Burrito wraps	30	packets of 8
Chocolate bar (small)	6	Boxes
Sweets (Hard candies)	5	Boxes
Milk UHT	36	Litres
Milk powder	1	kg
Crisps (Pringles etc)	8	packets
Biscuits	4	Boxes
Soy sauce	2	bottles
Tomato Sauce	2	bottles
Sweet Chilli Sauce	3	bottles
Mixed pickle	2	bottles
Pickled ginger	1	bottles
Chilli sauce	2	bottles
Chilli paste	3	bottles
Mayo	4	bottles
Lentils	6	kg
Sprouting seeds	1	bags
Israeli cous cous	1	kg
Dried pigeon peas	1	kg
Crackers (Ducales)	3	tins
Granola	2	bags
Granola bars	1	Boxes
Oats	4	kg
Breadcrumbs	2	units
Pancake mix	4	Boxes
Pasta sauces	27	bottles
Cous Cous	3	kg
Pasta rice	1	kg
Peanut butter	2	units
Teryakki sauce	1	bottles
Pepper	2	units
Curry powder	2	units
Oregano	2	units
Smoked paprika	1	units
Turmeric	2	units
Cumin seeds	2	units
Cumin powder	2	units
Chilli powder	2	units
Chilli flakes	1	units
Garam masala	2	units
Ground ginger	1	units
Chives	2	units
Basil	2	units
Coriander	2	units
Thyme	2	units
Salt	2	units
Desiccated coconut	4	packets
Tea	3	Boxes
Coffee	3	jars
Olives	5	pouches
Minced garlic	1	jar
Parmesan cheese	4	units
Lemon and Lime juice	2	units
Coffee mate	2	units
Brown Sugar	4	kg
White Sugar	7	kg
Dark brown sugar	1	kg
Stock cubes (Beef, Chicken, Veg)	6	units
Olive Oil	4	units
Vegetable oil	4	units
Jam	2	units
Tang (boxes)	8	Boxes
Cup of Soup	28	units
Gravy	2	units
Popcorn	2	kg
Sunflower seeds	1	bag
Jalapeños	1	jar
Perishables – fruit
Oranges	40	units
Tomatoes	10	units
Courgette	2	units
Carrots	20	units
Cabbages	4	units
Potatoes	30	units
Hand green bananas	3	hands
Apples	6	units
Passion fruit	10	units
Coconut	4	units
Pumpkin	2	units
Onions	30	units
Garlic	20	units
Limes	40	units
Ginger	1	Large
Avo	2	units
Beans	1	units
Perishables – dairy
Cheese (blanco)	2	kg
Cheese (normal)	2	kg
Yogurt	12	units
Cream cheese	1	units
Butter	4	units
Eggs	3	trays of 24
Perishables – other
Bread	1	loaves
Mince meat	1	packets
Sausage	1	packets
Bacon	1	packets
Galley
Tin foil	3	units
Cling Film	2	units
Grease proof paper	2	units
Zip lock bags (gallon size)	3	Boxes
Scourers	12	units
Pam baking spray	4	units
Dish washing liquid	4	units
Fire lighters	5	units
Batteries	3	Boxes
Baking
Baking Powder	3	large units
Yeast	3	units
Chocolate chips	3	bags
Egg replacer	1	units
Cake mixes	9	units
Cocoa Powder	4	packets
Flour	10	kg
Nuts	5	kg
Dried fruit	5	kg
Vanilla essence	2	bottles
Honey	1	bottles
Maple syrup	3	bottles
Icing sugar	2	Boxes
Raisins	3	Boxes
Muesli	3	Boxes
Easi-yo	10	sachets

Making the list was the easy bit, the hard part came when trying to locate the items!

For any of you stocking up in Panama, here's a summary of what to get where...

Super 99 and El Rey are the main supermarkets here with the former being the cheapest

Pricesmart:

- A bulk buy place similar to Costco /Macro and you need a membership card to purchase the goods. We enlisted the help of local taxi drivers to take us there, use their card and drive us back to the anchorage. Well worth it.

- Items sold here specifically and not in Mega Depot (or sold in Mega Depot but significantly cheaper here); tinned chicken, dried fruit, nuts, Panama beer (prefer this to Balboa), cheap olive oil and veg oil, soda crackers, pringles, badia herbs and spices, tortilla wraps, pasta sauces

Mega Depot:

- Another bulk buy place, you don't need membership but it does mean the goods aren't as cheap as Pricesmart

- They deliver your groceries for free the next day

- Items sold here and not in Pricesmart; Dinty Moore's beef stew, Frank's hot sauce, tinned ham, corned beef hash

Abasto:

- Local fruit and veg market where the supermarkets buy their produce

There is also Arriba Smith's for the more gourmet food but that isn't in our budget so I never went. Having covered the supermarkets of Panama, I was still missing herbs and spices. In particular, garam masala, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and milk powder that wasn't fortified for kids. For these I was recommended the most amazing store in the big multiplex called Super Deli H. It's an indian store with all sorts of goodies and I came out of there with way more than planned. They even have ghee for those that don't have a fridge (albeit slightly pricey).

Having spent a small fortune on food for our journey, the next task was to find a place for it all and not eat all the chocolate bars before we left the anchorage! As we were putting it away, I created an inventory so I knew exactly where everything was stored in the event that I suffered from memory loss. As we eat through the stash, I intend to keep a running total but we shall see how strictly we adhere to that rule...

Take a look at my retrospective blog post now I have crossed the Pacific and am filled with hindsight and wisdom (...!) - 

http://sallydylanadventures.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/a-retrospective-look-at-provisioning.html

Pacific 'to do' list

There was no shortage of things to do in order to get Orion ready for her first (ever) major ocean crossing. The main one my father encouraged us about was the need to have a suitable spinnaker pole set up for running before the wind. The trials and tribulations of that little task deserve their own post (soon to follow).

We are admittedly fairly anal management consultants and constant risk managers. As such we surround ourselves with excel spreadsheets detailing "to do" lists including completion tracking, priority and even accountability. Those project managers out there will know what we are talking about. Whilst this may seem a little….over the top, we like to think of it as a way to keep our bread and butter skills honed (we may be lying to ourselves).

Many of the items on the "to do" were running repairs. These included repairs to our bow anchor roller which got a little bent out of shape when I chastised it in the San Blas. I also had the thin plate stainless reinforced. The previous owner is probably reading this thinking, "I had the boat 12 or so years and never had that happen". Other Tartan owners probably think I am a bit of prick...

Our varnished companion way stairs have a tendency to become a little "slippery when wet" and as we did not have a sign that we could put up to avoid health and safety related lawsuits, we decided to add thick sticky backed grey grips to the stairs. Now Sally can clamber down them even when mildly inebriated. One of Sally's very important tasks was to download as many free ebooks (from Amazon) to the Kindle as possible. Most of these I notice are Mills and Boon equivalents and will probably never be sampled by myself unless I run out of even technical manuals to read.

Our substitute skipper, the good ole Monitor wind vane, needed to be in tip top condition. As such I replaced the flange bearing and strengthened the paddle to ensure it would laugh at even the heaviest of seas. After many months with a limited propane supply, I found a guy to fix the valve on our little 8lbs bottle and so now we carry 28lbs of propane. Should last us a wee while, even with Pillsburry Sally on board baking up a storm (she promised me fresh bread every second day - I am holding her to it - regardless of seasickness or other ailments).

We were not all that close to our next 100 engine hours, but as we may have a bit of motoring to do between Las Perlas and the Galapagos, I decided to do an oil change. It was more messy than I remember, but then again I also let the sump drain overnight to really empty it completely.
Fuel and water runs were also a lot of fun. Having a permanent distrust of any fuel source, I ever so slowly filter all my fuel through cheese cloth before it goes in the tank. I probably lose as much to evaporation as I put in the tank…but at least it is (relatively) particle free (does not help if there is water though…).

West Marine is a great company and many parts can be sourced from them quickly and easily. One thing I doubt they are industry leaders in, is cheek blocks. Our sub skipper (Monitor), was not very impressed with it and as such reduced it to a number of component parts when 24 hours away from the San Blas. Fortunately Dylan the uber skipper had a spare (but he only got around to replacing in Panama).

We tend to rely more and more on electronic charts. Not out of preference might I add, but rather convenience and cost. A good quality chart, copied, costs about $12. So we decided to only carry passage charts and ones for key areas. Where some volcanic islands are steep to, we tend not to rely on charts, but make sure we have decent guides. Which brings me on to the next topic. We also wish we had a iPad or equivalent (with a waterproof cover) to use in the cockpit when doing reef navigation. Electronic guides are a lot lighter than paper but we prefer having something in hand as we approach rather than a laptop down below! Bit late for Father Christmas to deliver us one...

We love our dinghy and try to look after her as best we can. It is after all our car! Ever since we removed the cover we can notice how sun damaged the pontoons are and as such decided to spoil her with a brand spanking new cover. After a mild heart attack at the cost of sunbrella material, we acquired some and had a mega cover made by a funny little fellow with a gold toothed smile named Foo Foo. She now looks as good as new (the dinghy that is!)

We bought a few parts from the US (as Panama does not stock 5616-0001-P Jabsco impellers apparently). Mildly annoying to be sure. These arrived earlier today (along with spinnaker repair tape and copper foil to aid my SSB transmissions).

Sally (and I on the odd occasion) have made multiple trips to many different shops to stock up on goods which are almost certain to be more expensive in the South Pacific. She will craft a post all about what to get where regarding culinary delights but needless to say, stocking up was one of the more time consuming and costly exercises of the 'to do' list.

With most of the chores done, we think we are ready to rock and roll. After 2 months in Panama, it is time to leave. We are looking forward to what may be one of the greatest challenges of our lives.

Take a look at what tasks we have completed here in Panama:
 

Rig spinnaker pole Repair cheek block Repair 150% genoa Add grips to companionway steps Repair raw water pumps Stock up on food and booze Get bow roller fixed and re-inforced Download books to Kindle Fill gas bottles Get the monitor rudder shaft repaired Rig inspection Get the monitor rudder shaft repaired Check connections for VHF Climb mast and put windex back on Repair gas bottle valve Count fuel filters and replace if needed Oil change Replace monitor flange Clean out fuel tank On and Off the hull Clean stainless

 

The Plan

Friends and family, 2013 will see us cross the Pacific Ocean and we would love for you to join us en route. To get an idea of where we will be going and when, see our proposed itinerary below. If you are interested in coming out, just check dates with us prior to booking so that we can confirm we will definitely be in that country. Our passage is entirely dependent on Mother Nature and as such, dates may change depending on when we get a good weather window.

February /March – Panama City and Galapagos Islands

• The crossing from Panama to Galapagos Islands will include stopping at the Las Perlas Islands (day sail from mainland Panama) and a 1 week sail from Las Perlas to Galapagos Islands.
• In the Galapagos Islands we'll take day trips and make the most of the world class scuba diving to swim with whale sharks, seals and iguana's.
• Islands we want to visit on the boat include: Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Isla Isabela with a trip to Floreana Island (Post office bay) to see if Nyati is still written there.

April /May – Marquesas Islands (part of French Polynesia)

• Galapagos Islands to Marquesas is a 30 day sail (ish) non stop. Crossing time really depends on the weather and whether we get stuck in the doldrums.
• All those pictures you see of the South Pacific are mostly taken here (green mountains) or Bora Bora (huts on stilts on the sea).
• We want to go to Fatu Hiva first then on to Hiva Oa and then Nuku Hiva.

June /July – Tuamotu Archipelago

• Getting more remote as we head further West, this place is probably too difficult for anyone we know to fly to and where we want to spend a lot of time.
• Renowned for its black pearls and beautiful atolls!
• The list of islands is staggering, needless to say we want to visit them all but will end up visiting but a few. We need to read the guide books...

July /August – Society Islands

• The Society Islands include Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea. Probably the most well known of the South Pacific Islands.
• Most expensive place, populated and touristy – albeit beautiful, I doubt we will stay too long in the major islands but might spend some time in the outer islands like Moorea, Raiatea and so forth.

August /September– Cook Islands

• Need to read the guide books some more to decide what we will be doing here but the major stops include Rarotonga and hopefully Palmerston Atoll as it's very remote.

September /October – Tonga

• En route to Tonga is Niue – one of the world's smallest self-governing states with water visibility of over 30m!
• Tonga is a developing country and the only kingdom in the Southern Hemisphere.
• We'll work our way down the chain of Vava'u Islands to the Ha'apai Group and then on to Fiji.
• If (and its a big IF) there is time we would like to visit Samoa before we go to Fiji. But this will be very time and weather dependent.

October /November– Fiji

• Excited to go here as we plan to venue hunt for our wedding!
• Aim is to spend a good month cruising this archipelago.

November /December – New Zealand

• Don't quote us on this but our plan at the moment is to end up in New Zealand. As always on Orion, we caveat this as our plans are always changing!

Anyone reading this with suggestions of where to go, please get in touch!!

Panama Canal Transit

My clammy hands gripped the helm. Slowly the imposing steel doors started to close behind me. The gates of Mordor locking me into a 1000ft chamber with 40ft high walls and an enormous red beast before me. Beneath me rumbled 40 horses chomping at the bit in eager anticipation.

Gates of Mordor

Worried looking captain

Just moments before we had been rushing head first into the lock at 4 knots – which felt like 60 miles per hour - heading straight for the business end of a large firetruck red freighter. I had glanced at the advisor sitting next to me and he did not seem to be sharing my anxiety or concern. We were getting awfully close to the ship now....still no word to send up the mooring lines that would save our little plastic boat from collision with 20mm plate steel.

“Shouldn't we...” - I was cut off before I could finish by a sharp whistle from our intrepid advisor.

The 125ft mooring lines started to ascend the walls of the lock like vines from a cheesy 70's horror movie. Once all lines had been made fast on the large yellow bollards we snubbed to a jarring halt. All 8+ tons of momentum taken up on our tiny aft cleats. <Grimace>

“Hundreds of yachts go through the canal every year and survive...” - The little voice of reason chanted enigmatically in my ear. There we were, all trussed up like a bread stealing French peasant sentenced to be drawn and quartered.

I started to relax. We were in, right? Made it to the first lock unscathed. We were tied into position. One down and 2 to go...Then the snot green sea below us began to churn a muddy brown. So this is what it must feel like to be a crouton in my stomach after ingesting a large nosh of indian food, warm beer and ecoli.

The waters boiled beneath us and we were battered to and fro as the locks filled from pipes underneath us. “My poor cleats...”

Crew taking in an aft line

“What if...a line snapped or a cleat broke or a line handler received an important Facebook message and dropped the line they were managing...” - I hate my little pessimistic 'What-If' devil that sat on my other shoulder. All the inevitable ends started whirling through my mind. Impaled on the red beasts propellor. Embracingly close to the cold steel lock doors. Examining slimy algae in detail on the concrete lock walls.

The box was still flooding. Waters seemed to bounce from one side of the lock to the other. Testing our line defences like the raptors in Jurassic Park (1, not 2 – 2 was a complete let down and is $5 and 1.5 hours of my life that I will never see again)

After a few minutes I realised that panic had been averted purely by my incredible super powers as skipper and that all would be well. Line handlers drew the lines in, keeping the right amount of tension as we rose up from the depths to join humanity once more. The whole process was a mere 20 minutes. I stood in the cockpit and shook my fist at the mildly overweight gringo lock master and bellowed - “Is that all you got!”

The red beast AKA “Youn Ki Kip Kai – Panama” seemed to take offence at this and decided to spin its propellor a few times for good measure. The resulting prop wash saw our water speed gauge peaking at 4.5 knots...while we were stationary!

Lock doors open and waters now calm, the big red made her way lazily out of the lock and into the second. It was easy for her, as she was pulled through with the aid of powerful locomotives or “mules” - so named as once upon a time a team of Shrek's best friend used to be tied to ships and haul them through the locks.

Once beastie had left us in peace, our slightly bored looking line thrower's on the lock walls above us casually threw our lines in the water. I figured that this was not some sort of mass action strike or offence at my fist waving, but part of the process as the throw lines appeared to be still attached. Our hand liner's were obviously not about to yank us through the lock like their motorised colleagues and so I requested the aid of the 40 - chomping at the bit – horses to do it for us.

We chugged our way into the next lock looking like seasoned veterans. The lines went up much the same timing as previous, gates closed, water battered us around and Orion held her own like Rosa Parks on a bus to a skinhead convention.

Gates opened and it was a “rinse and repeat” of the previous two locks. The final of the Gatun locks. The doors opened on to the Gatun Lake and the strangely named Panamanian registered vessel returned her lines to the mules and with out so much as a toot of the horn chugged her way onto the lake. I thought we had shared a bit of a moment together through the 3 lock ordeal, however she apparently had a schedule to keep.

The hand liners tossed our lines into the water, seemingly glad to be rid of another small vessel in their expensive locks. We puttered our way onto the muddy brown drinking waters of the Gatun Lake and finally my sphincter unclenched. Congratulations and high fives were cast around with playful abandon (not due to my unclenched sphincter, might I add). Farewell Atlantic Ocean.

We motored to a set of mooring buoys and tied up for the night. The day was done. The supposed hardest part over.

Vicki (Dolphin of Leith) helping tie us to the buoy!

The next morning saw me wake up at 5:30 like a kid at christmas. “Hands off cocks and grab your socks!” - There was lots to do before the imminent arrival of the new advisor. I spent the first 20 minutes pottering around getting in Sally's way and muttering to myself. Two activities at which I excel!

With engine checks done, crew roused and kettle on, we were ready to begin the day.

The advisor arrived shortly after 6am and I impressed him with facts that Orion cruises gently at 5 knots. With that we tossed off the mooring lines and chugged towards the channel and the oncoming northbound ships.

It was a fairly uneventful motor. We cracked out the jib to squeeze an extra few miles in before our decent to the Pacific. The advisor we had enjoyed a good few practical jokes at my expense threatening to delay us in Gamboa as one of our mooring lines was a wee bit shorter than the regulatory 125ft. The crew and advisor thought this very amusing, however the skipper wrote all their names on his “People to kill later” list.

Motoring across Gatun Lake

Making breakfast whilst underway

There were a few other boats going through the canal at the same time as us. All had larger boats, engines and / or ego's than I and so overtook us fairly early in the transit process. This was all part of my incredibly sneaky and cunning plan to arrive last. With 3 vessels ahead, chances were that they would raft up together leaving us all alone to go through centre chamber (the safest option where I am master of my own destiny – and not Popeye on the centre vessel in the raft of yachts).

We arrived at the Pedro Miguel locks to find this to be the case. Speedy Gonzales 1,2 and 3 had won the prize to raft up and Cap'n So Poke Orion was to go through centre chamber. Great success!

I charged up the cattle prod in order to keep the Orion crew frosty and we entered the first lock.

Everything and everyone worked as they should. We were behind the raft of 3 vessels and once again mooring lines went up and onto bollards at the last second. I am certain that this is done to test if the skipper can hold his bladder under pressure (fortunately our cockpit has drains right below the helm).

Down locking is lovely and calm. As long as the line handlers are feeding out the line nice and steady, all is well. I even vacated the helm and wandered the deck to pat a few line handlers on the head and provide a few patronising words of encouragement that any good leader would under such circumstances.

With lock empty, the gates opened and the raft bumbled forward. With a blast of the horn the mooring lines were tossed into the water but no longer attached to the throw lines. At first I thought this to be some sort of monumental cock-up, only to learn that the Panama Canal Authority did not pay the throw line guys enough to have them walk the 1.1 miles of the Miraflores lake to the next set of locks.

We puttered over to the Miraflores locks and once again survived monkey fists hurled at the boat by the excitable line thrower's ashore. The crew was getting quite good at ducking and diving and I considered momentarily signing them up as a dodgeball team (with me as coach due to my outstanding leadership skills).

Monkey's fist

The excitement was almost tangible. We were nearing the end. The Pacific was but a few hundred feet away. We downed the first lock like a drunk having his first beer of the day and moved to the last lock of the mighty Panama Canal.

The doors swung to as if St Peter himself was there to open them. The water behind us was as eager to meet the Pacific as we were and shunted us along at almost 4 knots. We were spat out of the final lock of the Panama Canal and into the Pacific Ocean. This was the first time Orion had been in the Pacific and she seemed to love it.

The wonderful crew!

We made it!

I never imagined that we would get here. This is where the fun really begins!